I recently received this link via my mom, who identified as a quiet student. She reminded me that I was quiet, too. The article suggests teachers think about quiet students and takes a few positions—seven in fact. She also writes:

The word “teacher” is a verb, not a noun. Hence this year, I encourage all teachers to break the barriers that separate them and their students and to create an inviting atmosphere where no student should hold back being themselves for fear of rejection. Teachers should aim to bring an accommodating atmosphere to the classroom where both extroverts and introverts can share their ideas and reach their potential without feeling pressurized. Your students might not thank you in- person, or write it in a card or note, but some day they may express their gratitude in an acceptance speech and thank you for giving the wallflower a chance to shine.

Being quiet doesn’t make us any less smart.

We are not a problem that you need to solve.

The feeling that comes with [the] hearing the phrase, “Speak up! I can’t hear you.”

Group projects can get really stressful for us.

We are not going to speak when we have nothing to say.

We have a personality.

Just because we’re quiet, doesn’t mean you have to give up on us.

I thought I’d weigh in because I don’t agree with everything she says.

First, teacher is a noun.

Second, on problems needing solving. I agree with this, because I know some people are naturally extroverted and some are naturally introverted. You can move in and out and beyond those labels, however, too. If a student is so quiet that their thoughts are never heard or their opinions never voiced, then that’s a problem. We can help students, and it doesn’t necessarily mean we make them into loud, outspoken students.

Third, if a student is a soft talker, and they cannot hear, we might want to be sensitive to why they are soft talkers, but at some point we have to develop their communication skills. Aside from a comedy sketch on Seinfeld, sometimes there are situations where we have to step out of our comfort zones.

Fourth, group projects can be stressful for some, and not a preferred method for learning. Yet learning to work with others is an important skill. Teachers should encourage group projects, but be sensitive that some students need help transitioning to this style of work. Using self-selecting groups or groups composed with students with similar interests, learning styles, or learning preferences, might be a good idea.

Fifth, our teachers should set a classroom climate where students can speak and be heard when they have something to say. Sometimes this may not be out loud, but through private journaling, online discussions, or in group discussions that are less intimidating. Students should be encouraged to take positions, to think critically, and we need to develop these skills. And yes, not talking a lot isn’t a sign of danger or concern.

Lastly, I hope no teacher would give up on a student because they don’t hear a lot from them in class. Instead, I know our teachers know how important it is to develop strong relationships with kids and in that, we have to remember that each relationship will be unique and develop on its own velocity vector. We might really connect with some students through talking, through an online chat, through glances and praise, or through written feedback. I’m probably leaving out at least half a dozen other ways we can begin to establish positive relationships with students to show that we care, we want to help them with their goals in life and in school, and that the way they are–either quiet or even exceedingly talkative–is just fine.

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I am sorry if this note comes too late. I understand that some of you are in Schoology and trying to use it with students already. I applaud your enthusiasm and know if I were a teacher today, I would have led the charge.

I am still working with the company on making sure we are completely set up and ready to go. Bea, Zoe, and I have yet to receive our official training on the platform. We intend to set it up with you in a formal training environment, too.

If you’ve been in and the water’s fine, that’s great, but I really would ask for your patience at this time. Creating your own courses, or asking questions at this point on how the system works is counterproductive for us. We can also not reset student passwords just yet either.

Second, to be clear, we still have a blogging expectation, but that can be done through Schoology or through WordPress. I will be asking you soon to tell me which you prefer to use.

Third, our priority right now is preparing for our 1:1 deployment starting on August 28.

The technology team and I have been diligent over the summer and at the start of the year to launch a number of new initiatives: Infosnap, Schoology, the next phase of our 1:1, a PowerSchool update, TeacherDashboard configuration, etc. Some of those I have no involvement in, but they all usually involve at least two of us. Thank you for your patience!

This year we’ve adopted a new learning management system called Schoology. This is primarily for grades 3-8 however all teachers are permitted to login if your principal elects to use it for professional development.

Visit google.com to ensure that you are logged into Google. If not, use the link in the upper-right hand corner to sign into your Google account.

You should be automagically brought into Schoology. If you receive an error message, please let us know.

We are using Google Apps as the sign-on mechanism for Schoology. Veteran teachers will have the option to use a Schoology blog in lieu of a WordPress blog. This is a smart option if you plan to integrate Schoology into your lessons this year.

This July I flew to San Francisco and one of my stops was at the Computer History Museum. I wished upon visiting that I could have taken my students here over 13 years ago, when I was teaching computer applications or any of the other courses I once taught.

I wanted to share a few highlights I captured with my iPhone.

HyperCard came out in the mid-1980s as a new type of software development platform. It was designed to be easy for the end user to create databases of cards, using links, embedded graphics, and sounds. It was the precursor to today’s HyperStudio which I know a lot of teachers may know.

It was a remarkable piece of software created by the author of MacPaint, the photographer Bill Atkinson. It was ahead of its time as a precursor to the Web.

The Xerox Alto was the first GUI computer of note, and it was this computer that Jobs and company saw when they toured the Xerox labs at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). The computer had a white background on the screen, was formatted to the orientation of a printed page (tall), and used icons and a mouse to control the computer. The other device on the left is a chord input device, which allowed shortcuts by pressing down the “keys” (think like a piano) to recall common functions. Today keyboard shortcuts are likely the best equivalent.

I had never seen one up close before. It was not functional, however.

I learned to program BASIC (both Integer and Applesoft) on an Apple ][ microcomputer when I was in elementary school. My first Apple, however, was the //e, but my friend at the time owned this model. It is strange, perhaps, but just looking at that machine brought back vivid memories, smells, and feelings — of a time from my past as a kid. I can still feel what the keyboard was like. The Apple ][ was Apple's first major financial success after the hand-built Apple 1 models.

This next computer is what I was really into, around 1984.

This is the Apple Lisa. Named after Steve Job’s daughter, it was Apple’s first GUI-based computer to use a mouse, an inverted (white) screen, icons, and the whole lot. It was on display in a computer store in Pittsburgh when I was in the 4th grade. I could never touch it, however, because the retail price was $10,000 and they didn’t let kids play with those. Less than a year after its launch, the Mac debuted as the “smaller” cousin. It of course took over the Lisa, which is seen by many as a flop.

And finally, Illustrator.

Before I ever used this software, I thought it was cool. Unlike the bitmap graphics that dominated computers for so long, this program would create vector art that could print smooth on a (new) laser printer. With it, you can make graphics that have no dots at all, and it became the software for graphic designers to create maps, logos, or anything that required professional output.

When I first visited San Francisco in 1991 with a friend, his uncle took us around Silicon Valley and at his house we played on his Mac with Adobe Illustrator 88. Soon after that trip, I got a copy and started my foray into desktop publishing with Illustrator, Photoshop, and PageMaker. Today I use the similar trio of software every day (Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign).

Beyond Apple and personal computers, the museum had a lot of old mainframes, punch card machines, Cray supercomputers, and a nice exhibit on video games. If you’re ever in the San Jose area, I recommend it.

This week we had our second 1:1 computing training, ever. Sometimes this is called ubiquitous computing, meaning “the technology is everywhere.” For SY 2014-15, we are expanding our 1:1 program with iPads to Year 1 – with 5th and 6th grade covered across the division.

Teachers from all of our schools save for GHS attended for learning about our 1:1 program. I’d like to say it was all about using the iPads students will receive in the fall, but it was not! It was focused on deeper learning, engaging students through instructional decisions, and some theoretical concepts like SAMR, TPACK, and more.

I had a lot of fun watching Zoe Parrish, Bea Leiderman, and Joe Beasely work with our teachers in an effort to allay fears and prepare them for delivering the best learning opportunities possible to students next school year.

We also looked at Schoology as a learning management solution for use with the iPads and with laptops for next year. A few core apps, QR codes, and some experience with Google Drive rounded out the experience.

Our next and final summer training is in July: 28th, 30th, and 31st!

As I shared earlier in a tweet, this was the first training session I’ve ever participated in where teachers wanted a hug at the end. I was moved by the commitment of our teachers to inspire our students and to prepare them for their futures.

This session is open to all principals and to teachers in grades 3-8 throughout the division. This new learning management tool will be piloted in SY 2014-15 in conjunction with our 1:1 program and we encourage use by all teachers in grades 3-8. Schoology is best described as a K-12 solution akin to both Moodle and Edmodo. Schoology is being deployed as a student learning management system that will house digital assets for instruction. Schoology is supported both on the iPad and also on laptops.

Creating eBooks

This session will show you how to create eBooks really for two purposes: The first is a student project where students can produce an electronic book document (or ePub) for distribution and viewing on iPads (or an iPhone!). The second is as a resource for instruction with our 1:1 iPad project. ePub readers are available too on other platforms, and may well support what teachers may wish to do at GHS with BYOD next school year. By the end of this 2-day session for all teachers, you will learn how to format, embed multimedia, and publish ePub books.

Taking Lessons up the SAMR Ladder

SAMR is a framework for understanding how we use technology in the classroom. In this session, teachers will look at the SAMR framework as a point of reflection about their own past teaching with lessons that used technology. The “higher” we go up the ladder, the stronger lessons become. In this 2-day session, we’ll look at both the planning and teaching side of SAMR and you will be prepared to use technology more effectively. This session is for all teachers; please prepared to have access to lesson plans and materials you have used in the past.

Teacher Dashboard with Google Apps

For teachers in grades 3-12, this session will cover what you can do with Google Apps and how you can utilize these tools using Hapara Teacher Dashboard. TeacherDashboard allows you to send out templates to students, easily grade student work, and more! We’ll cover email, Docs, Spreadsheets, and cover a few things you probably never knew about Google Apps!

Elementary Primary Mobile Devices

This session for early elementary grades covers a number of different activities you can do using iPod Touch and iPads in your schools. Learn how to most effectively utilize these easy to use devices with your students for engagement and focused skill development.

Students in our iPad 1:1 program at GES may be interested in learning how to archive some of the content on their iPads for safekeeping over the summer. Over the summer we will be updating all iPads to a new distribution model by Apple and upgrading iPads to iOS 7. At our deployment night this fall, students will need to sign up for an AppleID with their parents to use the iPad for the coming school year.

Files on the iPad are different than what we’re used to on computers. A Pages document, for instance, can only live within the Pages app. There is no easy way to get that data “out,” save for exporting it. Students can, for instance, export a Pages document as a Word file, then opt to open this file in Google Drive. The only files that Apple currently allows to be shared among apps are photos and videos. This tutorial will cover how to move this type of content into Google Drive.

Google Drive is each student’s “virtual hard drive” where content can live off the iPad. Students may access this content through a PC, a Mac, or another mobile device using their Goochland Google credentials. I will show you how to move photos and pictures to your Google Drive account. Parents may wish to consult this guide from Google.

When I recently visited Randolph Elementary School, I visited a lesson “in action” where students were presenting information they had mastered (presumably for review purposes). This is a very strong instructional approach, and I was pleased to see the students had used video to capture their instructions for their peers on how to solve math problems.

During the visit highlighted above, a student had made a mistake in the video, and then told everyone about the mistake and the “correct” way to solve the problem. This reflection on the recorded performance was another excellent sign of strong learning.

Earlier this spring, I began looking at our G21 Framework and areas for improvement. One of the things I wanted to “remove” was the necessity of any expert in the room to fill out the planning form. While it made for a nice sleek form, I wanted to put more of what it takes to develop a good project-based experience for students into the form itself. It would make for a more complex form, but hopefully too would provide teachers a scaffold on which to present an awesome learning experience.

Instead of re-inventing the wheel, my new proposal for G21 adopts the Buck Institute for Education model for project-based learning. The format is more complete at helping teachers plan for the project-based experience. One of the things it encourages, too, is student presentation. While I am not certain that every PBL needs a presentation, and there will be times where the resource of time may prevent a formal presentation, it does not dilute the effectiveness of presenting as an instructional activity. Since 2008 when we started G21, we have used “teaching others” and “communication” as two of our core 12 twenty-first century skills. But we need to remember that these skills do not need to wait for a “G21″ to be utilized in our designs for instruction.

I look forward to sharing more in my blog throughout the summer about G21 3.0. On August 7, for our Mission Possible: Operation Engagement professional development day, Bea and I will be offering sessions on the new framework. For now all I will say is consider the new format “smaller” but “more potent!”

About this blog…

This is the blog of John Hendron, Ed.D., director of innovation & strategy for Goochland County Public Schools. Through this blog I share information for teachers, administrators and families dealing with learning and teaching with technology.